Royal fans have been given a rare look inside Queen Elizabeth‘s official London residence, Buckingham Palace, as the property undergoes an extensive renovation.
WATCH: Rare look inside $715m Buckingham Palace renovation
The royal family has shared a fascinating video to its Instagram account, detailing the painstaking work that is being carried out in the palace’s Yellow Drawing Room.
The video shows how the 19th-century wallpaper is being carefully removed “piece by piece” so that it can be “conserved and preserved” by professionals before being rehung in the spectacular reception room at the front of the palace.
The artistic paper is so delicate that it has to be removed so it is not damaged by the vibrations of nearby construction work.
Details of the renovation works were shared in the photo captions.
“Watch as historic nineteenth-century wallpaper from the Yellow Drawing Room is carefully taken away for conservation. Not only will this work restore the rare, fragile wallpaper, but it will simultaneously protect it from incurring damage from nearby construction work as part of the Reservicing programme. Once the works are complete, the restored wallpaper will return to its home in the Yellow Drawing Room.
“The Reservicing programme is vital in order to mitigate the risk of fire and flood and will ensure that old wiring is brought in line with current health and safety standards. The refurbishment will also improve visitor access and make the Palace more energy efficient.
“Designed by Edward Blore in the 1840s, the East Wing of Buckingham Palace was built for Queen Victoria to provide more entertaining and living space for her expanding family. Blore’s design included the famous central balcony on the front façade of the Palace, which was incorporated at Prince Albert’s suggestion. Since then it has been used on many national occasions, including annually at Trooping the Colour,” they wrote.
Buckingham Palace’s extensive renovation project involves the replacing of 161km of electrical cabling, 6500 plug sockets, 5000 light fittings, 32km of heating pipework and 2500 radiators.
Although the entire project will take years to complete, the work was deemed necessary after experts warned the palace and its priceless artworks was at “serious risk” of fire and water damage if not repaired.
The cost of the renovations is being paid for by taxpayers via the Sovereign Grant.
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